News & Insights

BY STEPHANIE WIERWILLE

The Catalyst for Change: "Rome Is Burning"

In January, BPD published a wake-up call to health system CMOs: Rome Is Burning. With an eagle eye across health system marketing nationwide, we identified a tough trend: with record financial woes, access issues, staffing shortages, the undervaluing of marketing, the threat of AI, and even “pixel mayhem”, health system CMOs weren’t just facing the most difficult times ever… their roles were being questioned.

Six months later, there’s still smoke.

We’ve had countless conversations with CMOs across the nation, including a:

Panel at HMPS 2024 with Sarah Sanders (CMO, UCSF Health), Lisa Schiller (CMCO, UNC Health), and Kristen Wevers (Former CMO, UC Health);
Private roundtable dinner with 10 CMOs to discuss this issue and provide advice to each other;
An in-depth discussion on a recent episode of the No Normal Show;
And conversations with a variety of health system clients.

Here’s what we’ve learned.

1. The majority of marketers agree that Rome is burning to some extent. Based on a poll at HMPS 2024, 60% of marketers believe that their department is not highly valued. And the majority (52%) believe that the role of the CMO is under threat. So unfortunately… we’re onto something.

2. The degree to which Rome is burning depends on the health system’s situation—for some, financial struggles are graver than ever, and marketing is last on the list of organizational priorities. For others, new leadership may cancel out years of hard work of internal education about the value of marketing. And for a lucky few, marketing is highly valued and turned to for true business insights.

3. Marketers are missing a smoking gun: the threat (and opportunity) of AI. Based on the HMPS 2024 poll, when asked what poses the greatest threat to the CMO:

40% cited leadership’s undervaluing of marketing;
38% cited financial stress;
13% noted a shrinking need for marketing due to growing demand and reduced capacity;
6% said ‘none of the above’
…and only one person noted that AI is a threat for marketers

Let that sink in… if there’s anywhere in this trend where marketers are playing the fiddle while Rome burns, it’s here. Headline after headline is highlighting how Generative AI is reshaping tech, media, content, and marketing. It’s an opportunity for a new bar of creativity… and it presents a vision for improved efficiency. For some, it’s the biggest marketing opportunity since the dot com boom. But for those who aren’t grabbing AI by its horns, it could be the biggest threat since… well, ever.

So, if Rome has been burning for over six months, what’s a health system CMO to do? To answer this question, we phoned a friend…

“Evolve or Evaporate” — Usher

Okay, we didn’t phone Usher. We phoned our CMO friends. And Lisa Schiller, CMO at UNC Health threw us that advice at the 2024 HMPS Panel. “Evolve or evaporate” has become the optimistic rally cry of Rome is Burning. Health system marketers aren’t pulling a Nero; they’re reinventing themselves. They’re giving each other advice like “Don’t keep doing the things you’ve always been doing; deconstruct yourself.”

How to put out the fire

Speak Fluent Finance

Marketing teams must clearly articulate and demonstrate their value to organizational leadership. This isn't a new need, but how you do it has evolved. In 2024, this requires building a strong data infrastructure so that you always have ROI metrics handy.

What’s the value of the brand you’ve built to the organization? Can you quantify it financially?
What financial impact did your recent service line program have? Did it bring a 3:1 ROI? 5:1? 10:1?
What’s the financial value of recent earned media efforts?

If you’re not speaking in CEO and CFO language—contribution margin, ROI, revenue—the game is already lost.

Make AI Your Friend

As marketers, we can fear AI… we can run from it… or we can lean all the way into it, exploring how it can augment existing efforts and drive innovation. AI is at the forefront of healthcare innovation—enabling researchers and clinicians to make new breakthroughs and improve operational efficiency. It can do the same for marketing.

Be the one that experiments with AI (safely, legally, and ethically) within your organization with:
Machine learning applied to data-driven marketing;
Generative AI for content creation;
AI-driven patient tools;
And so much more

As the folks at the Marketing AI Institute say often, “AI will not replace marketers, but marketers who use AI will replace marketers who don’t.” So… let’s go!

Never Stop Learning

This isn’t a new idea. But sometimes the most obvious ones are the most important.

Marketing is changing faster than ever before. It’s no longer possible to lean on experience alone—you must be constantly learning… always evolving. But you don’t have to go it alone.

Health system CMOs are a powerful network. We see it firsthand every day, when CMOs lean on each other to share horror stories and swap tips—sometimes, even between competitors. What friends can you call?

What does your Rome look like?

So… tell us—where are you on the Rome is Burning spectrum? Is Rome merely smoking? Is it burning to the ground? Or are you off enjoying the crystal-clear waters of the Amalfi Coast?

Lucas

Title Here

Stay in Touch

Receive our updates, industry news and insights.